Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-05-20

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the dignity and importance of the
work to be done. Others mentioned
by the speaker were: Proper in
tellectual qualifications. which is not
mere familiarity with the textbooks, and
includes a fund of general information :;
willingness to work ability to govern,
which requires self-gOvernment, love for
children, tirmness and tact; and, lastly,
ability to teach, that is, adaptation of
methods to the capacities and needs of
scholars. Mr.. Palmer's address was full
of wise suggestions and sensible advice.
President Braineld, in the discussion
that followed, said that of the qualifica-
tiOns mentioned willingness to work was
the chief, as it was in any line of effort.
Enthusiasm arises from willingness to
work, as does also ability to teach. Mr..
5. b.. NJ. Cowles, superintendent of
schools in New Haven, told of some
teachers who did fancy-work in school,
while others, with even a smaller number
of scholars, found the six hours too short
for the teaching they wanted to do. lie
thought the former class lacked enthusi-
aSm.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
The exercises of the afternoon began
with some excellent singing by one of
Miss Higley's classes.
Next came an exercise in Geography
conducted by Principal Mead of the Mid
dlebury graded school. In his introduce
tory remarks Mr., Mead spoke of the diff
cuty of teaching students of this subject,
where more than in almost any other
study there is a tendency to mere MEM
orizing of the book. He showed a very
good globe that can be bought at less
than 50 per dozen and expressed the
opinion that no school should be without
one. A class from the graded school was
questioned at some length in order to
show what could be done with compare
lively young pupils by the use of the
globe. The exercise went off nicely and
was attentively heard.
Miss Julia Bond, teacher of the inter-
mediate department of the Middlebury
graded school. gave an exercise in mental
arithmetic that showed much skill ON the
part of the pupils, who, Judging from the
explanations they made, understood what
they were doing.
Miss Florence Ford gave an interesting
exhibition of object teaching.
Miss Matte Mead conducted an eXer-
else in teaching elementary music in ac-
cordance with the system lately intro
duced in the graded school. The pupils
did well. The afternoon session closed
with a dum-bell exercise by young pupils
from the graded school, Miss lIortense
Drake conducting it.
WEDNESDAY EVENINGS
Exercises began with the singing of a
solo by Miss Hortense Drake, who rem
dered '"The Gipsy's Home" superbly and
was loudly applauded at the close. Then
came the lecture by DR.. William \. Now
ny of Boston, whose subject was ''Ihe
Mississippi Valley, and how we came by
it, DR.. Mowry began by saying that
it is sometimes said that We in this coun-
try nave no history, whereas the fact is
that we not only have "A history of which
we may well be proud. but we also make
history faster than any other nation. He
then proceeded to show how we became
possessed of our present territory as far
west as the Rocky Mountains, illustrat-
ing his remarks by means of Il large map.
He showed the position and extent of the
French, English and Spanish possessions
in North America. At the middle of the
last century France held Canada. and by
the explorations of Catholic priests had
acquired possession of the great Missis-
sippi valley, while the immense tract of
territory known as the Louisiana terri
tory. lying between the Mississippi and
the Rockies, belonged to Spain. England
had only thirteen small colonies On the
Atlantic coast. When Montcalm and
Wolfe fought their great duel on the
plains of Abraham and Montcalm lost the
day. that was the supreme moment in the
history of North America. England by
the treaty of 1853 drove France from the
continent. The speaker then showed how
after the war of independence and the
treaty of 1883 the diplomacy of Franklin
and Jay had secured us the great terri
tory northwest of the Ohio. Franklin, he
was inclined to think, was the wisest
statesman of modern times. lie would
place him beside Moses, and no other with
them. Next came an account of the
great Louisiana purchase from Napoleon
in 1903, which extended our possessions
to the Rocky Mountains and gave us an
empire. The schemes of Burr were
touched upon, and the speaker said that
by MOntcalm's defeat on the plains of
Abraham not only was the map of the
continent changed, but the language,
laws, customs and religion of the CONT
nent were thereby also settled. We can
give only an idea of DR.. Mowry's excel
lent lecture. He is a clear, ready and
forcible speaker. and was listened to with
the closest attention, and heartily APP
plauded at the conclusion of the lecture.
There was IA very large audience present,
the hall being packed almost to the full
extent of its capacity.
THURSDAY FORENOON's
Session of the institute was begun with
devotional exercises conducted by Rev
F. G.. Thompson of Middlebury. These
exercises consisted of the singing OF
hymn No. 1913, the reading of the l39tf
Psalm, and prayer offered by Rev. Mr.
Thompson.
An exercise in physiology followed
1t was conducted by Miss Matte Chapir
of the M~iddlebury high school, and {
class of her pupils, who explained theil
subjects clearly, and at times very wildly
by means of charts. This exercise was
one of the best features of the institute
so far, and Miss Chapin's pupils exhibit
ed a degree of proficiency which was no
only SurnriSipu in itcalf but wbinb /.